We’re the first clinic in the US to practice this revolutionary treatment. Acupuncture has been used to treat pain and imbalance for 3000 years. But the practice hasn’t been improved by advances in science—until now. Using ultrasound elastography, we identify which trigger points will be most effective in the treatment of each patient. Using this technique, we’re able to instantly relieve pain and symptoms of back and neck pain, TMJ, fibromyalgia and other musculoskeletal conditions. The strength of this approach is in its precision. Blind dry needling requires multiple repetitive visits because the needle is inserted superficially. If dry needling is to be effective guided ultrasound provides direct answer. Usually two to three visits provide maximum therapeutic and diagnostic benefit.

UltrasoundGuided Dry Needling Therapy in New York City

If you experience chronic myofascial pain, ultrasound guided dry needling in NYC could be the best therapeutic approach to eliminate the cause of your condition. Pain that originates from the muscles is one of the most commonly seen disorders, and ultrasound guided dry needling is a time-honored approach that provides long lasting relief.

Functional Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling

What Is It?

Ultrasound guided dry needling ( UGDN) is treatment approach to help remedy the causes and resolve the symptoms of myofascial pain. The original approach was diiscovered by Karel Lewit, MD PhD, in partnership with Janet Travell and David Simons.In 1997-1998 Dr.Kalika personally studied this method from Karel Lewit of Prague School of Rehabilitation. Dry needling focuses on soft tissue manipulation with a needle without any medication injected into the body.

Myofascial Pain & Dry Needling in New York City

Fascia is a term that refers to the tissues that surround muscles, so myofascial pain originates in the muscles and their connecting tissues. Trigger point therapy for myofascial pain helps relieve the tender, inflamed nodules that are characteristic of this muscular disorder.The success of trigger point treatment depends on very precise localization and differentiation of active from passive trigger points. This is for the first time possible with newest ultrasound technology and methodology developed in Europe and backed up by very refined research. Ultrasound guided trigger point therapy is for the first time introduced by Dr.Kalika in New York City. The newest diagnostic ultrasound technology called elastography is used to find active trigger points location. This is achieved by an ability of the elastography to visualize tissue density change. The classic trigger point palpation of sensitive nodules cannot differentiate an active trigger point from a passive one.

Typical symptoms that a patient of trigger point therapy may experience include:

Tenderness focused in the palpated area

Feelings of muscular weakness and fatigue

Pain radiating throughout the body upon manipulation of trigger areas

Stiffness and limited flexibility

What Causes Myofascial Pain?

Although many respected research studies have been conducted over the past few decades, the exact etiology of this pain disorder is yet to be determined. However, the following issues are thought to play a role in the development of this ailment:

Physical injury

Muscular ischemia

Viscero-somatic reflexes

Radicular nerve root compression

Psychological trauma

Overuse of muscles

Fatigue, both physical and mental

Metabolic disorders

Muscular Trigger Points (MtrP)- A Patient’s Guide

Prospective recipients of dry needling in NYC find it helpful to understand the basics of treatment. This therapy focuses upon the tender nodules and taut bands of tissue that are found in trigger areas. Trigger points are defined by:

Inability to heal over time

Are independent from other syndromes

May persist for months or years

Trigger point therapy for myofascial pain focuses upon the 2 classifications of these areas, which are:

Active points – Painful areas that cause pain to radiate, or refer out, into other areas of the anatomy

The Reason Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling is Effective

Dr. Lewit pioneered trigger point therapy for myofascial pain when his study proved it was effective due to the physical stimulation of nerves and tissue, as opposed to medication injections. The insertion of hair-thin needles cause an autonomous electric stimulation to occur in muscles, referred to as a localized twitch response (LTR). Once this activity has ceased, the tissues are able to function in a more normalized manner.

What Exactly is Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling?

Advanced studies in this field have taken place in the United States, Ukraine, Spain and Germany that utilize the powerful soft-tissue imaging capabilities of elastography. This research have proven that the ultrasound technology used in this modality of therapy is able to aid clinicians in determining active MTrP points from ones that are latent.

When treatment needles are inserted into specific points while simultaneously being displayed through ultrasound imaging, active trigger points are more commonly accessed than their latent counterparts. By accessing primary points of therapy, the LTR is observed to cessation, helping deliver the most effective, impactful treatment possible. As opposed to blind dry needling, this guided form of therapy allows for precise delivery of stimulation until all LTR activity has come to a total completion.

What is Functional Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling?

To further differentiate practices in the field of trigger point therapy for myofascial pain, the functional field doesn’t merely rely on palpation and clinical history. Instead, a comprehensive functional examination is used to determine the following criteria:

Pain distribution

Failed load transfer testing

Spinal joint overloading testing

Lack of movement in the spinal vertebrae

Lack of range of motion in extremity joints

Spinal movement coupling

Spinal stability testing deficiency

Determination of links in the neuromuscular chain

This data helps the therapist to narrow the physical area for ultrasound observation. It is re-observed after treatment for LTR activity to determine the effectiveness of treatment.

Is Functional UltrasoundGuided Dry Needling the Same as Acupuncture?

This field is not based on the concepts of acupuncture, which seek to harmonize energies in the body by stimulating body’s meridians . Acupuncture is performed by inserting needles superficially into body’s channels.Functional guided dry needling is predicated upon evidence-based Western medical knowledge and the rules of anatomy and physiology.The needles are inserted deeper based on anatomy visualization under ultrasound.

Why Choose NYDNRehab For Treatment of Myofascial Pain Syndrome?

In 1997 Dr.Kalika personally learned dry needling from Karel Lewit himself when he moved to Prague.In 2006 Dr.Kalika became a member of ISMST (international society of medical shockwaves) further progressing his knowledge in treatment of myofascial pain by using extracorporeal shockwave technology.In 2014 Dr.Kalika became interested in ultrasound diagnosis of trigger points and conducted multiple studies in Europe delivering this method for the first time in NYC. At NYDNRehab we use very comprehensive approach by combining functional guided dry needling, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, neuromuscular manual therapy and ontogenetically based physical therapy approach for treatment of myofascial pain.

muscle before treatment

muscle after treatment

Testimonials

Ultrasound Guided Dry Needling in New York City

We’re the first clinic in the US to practice this revolutionary treatment. Acupuncture has been used to treat pain and imbalance for 3000 years. But the practice hasn’t been improved by advances in science—until now. Using ultrasound elastography, we identify which trigger points will be most effective in the treatment of each patient. Using this technique, we’re able to instantly relieve pain and symptoms of TMJ, fibromyalgia, back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions.